Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 122, No. 149 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
State Auditor Hector Balderas told the Santa Fe New Mexican that if auditors find department employees were improperly
Traders decided that the stock market has suffered enough, at least for now. After a two-day plunge, stocks ended the week with an advance on Friday, suggesting that Wall Street may be successfully weaned from the Federal Reserve’s easy money after all... - PAGE B5
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Troubled NMMI alumni break rank • Among the clouds • Brainerd to share... • RPD, SO talk funding • Leadership Roswell Alumni Association...
INSIDE SPORTS
June 22, 2013
Health employees’ expenses up for audit
SANTA FE (AP) — The state auditor’s office has identified inconsistencies in expense forms submitted by the deputy secretary at the Department of Health and other agency employees, and that the expenses have raised red flags.
RECOVERY ON WALL STREET
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Police arrest Miller
SATURDAY
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reimbursed, those employees could be required to pay back the money. The audit comes after the Santa Fe Reporter found that Department of Health Deputy Secretary Brad McGrath had racked up about $33,000 in mileage, per diem and hotel charges since October 2011 for travel between Santa Fe and his home in Roswell. Department of Health
Secretary Retta Ward said that McGrath hasn’t done anything wrong but has agreed to voluntarily give up claiming the per diem because “he doesn’t want any controversy.” “I did not direct him to give it up,” Ward said. “That’s just the kind of guy he is. He’s an amazing person of integrity. He was entitled to what he got.” Records show McGrath
Hoses and ladders
often traveled to Santa Fe on Mondays and spent the entire week in Santa Fe, claiming a per diem and travel expenses that included $135 per day for lodging.
The Department of Health justified the expenses by explaining that when McGrath was hired in October 2011 for the $104,000a-year job of chief facilities of ficer, Roswell was his
post of duty, but that when he was promoted to chief deputy secretary in May 2012, at a salary of $115,000 a year, his additional duties required him to travel to Santa Fe often. Department spokesman Kenny Vigil told the Reporter in an email that having McGrath fill both positions was “a cost-effecSee AUDIT, Page A3
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The Roswell Police Department arrested Jeffery Miller, 19, Thursday evening, on charges of assault with intent to commit a violent felony and aggravated battery. He was arrested in connection with a shooting that occurred on Sunday just after 5 a.m. in the 2900 block of South Emerald Drive. Detectives were called to the emergency room at Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in reference to two subjects suffering from gunshot wounds. Detectives learned that the victim was at home when he heard a noise near his front
Mark Wilson Photo
SERTOMA Club recognizes 2 CCBC focuses on See ARREST, Page A2
Firefighters perform ladder and hose training at the Louis Jones Training Facility, Thursday morning.
INVADERS SPLIT PAIR Roswell split a doubleheader with Taos on Friday. In Game 1, the Invaders came away with a 16-8 win. In the nightcap, the Blizzard rebounded with an 11-6 victory. In the first game, Taos led 3-0 after two innings, but Roswell tied things up... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES There are no obituaries.
HIGH...102˚ LOW ....68˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Mark Wilson Photo
Roswell SERTOMA Club president Billy Carlyle, center, presents the Service to Mankind Award 2013 to Michael Puckett, left, and the SERTOMAN of the Year Award 2013 to D. William ‘Bill’ Wolf during a luncheon at the Elks Lodge 969, Friday. AMY VOGELSANG RECORD STAFF WRITER
“Ding!” A bell resounded through the room of
the Elks Club and the scraping of metal-legged chairs against a tiled floor signified that everybody was standing. The
Roswell SERTOMA Club meeting commenced Friday in a traditional way with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer. But this wasn’t a normal club meeting. The men, women and families were gathered to honor two men for their commitment to the Roswell community and for going above and beyond the average volunteer. The annual awards are given to people who are nominated by their peers. The first, the “SERTOMAN of the Year” Award went to member D. William “Bill” Wolf. After 20 years as a SERTOMAN, Wolf has held multiple leadership positions, including president. The award recognizes his involvement within
fire prevention
ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
During its regular business meeting Friday, the Chaves County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution and an agreement regarding the New Mexico Association of Counties 2013-2014 Wildfire Risk Reduction for Rural Communities Grant Program. The county received a grant of $10,000 from the program to update the Chaves County Community Wildfire Protection Plan. First developed in 2010, the plan emphasized implementing preventative measures for eliminating wildfire threats. County Community Development Director Charlotte Andrade said the county will assess what has been implemented and develop recommendations of what additional steps need to be taken to eliminate the risk of wildfires. The board also approved a resolution to authorize the execution and intercept agreement between the county and the New Mexico Finance Authority for a loan on behalf of the Sierra Volunteer Fire Department. The loan, in the amount of $619,613, will be used to construct a new fire station, drilling a well and installing water storage tanks with pumps. The commissioners also approved an agreement between the county and the New Mexico Children, Youth
Hayes still enjoying life’s amusement park rides See SERTOMA, Page A3
See CCBC, Page A3
AMY VOGELSANG RECORD STAFF WRITER
It’s 6:10 in the evening. Their trunk is filled with chicken and potatoes, the first imports of such foods in more than seven months. As the couple drives home, they pass a mansion, and suddenly, 200 Liberian soldiers swarm the car. The soldiers’ M1s and carbines threaten the husband and wife as a young man, maybe 16 years of age, yells, “GET OUT!” The husband, a missionary with Sudan Interior Mission, steps out of the car, not knowing what he has done wrong. The young soldier, along with his comrades, all have red eyes. “He was high as a kite!”
the man recalls. All the soldiers were. “Pump,” the young soldier demands. But the man does not understand what this means. The soldier demonstrates: arms held out from the sides and bending knees down and up, doing squats. “Now I want you to do that until you fall out,” the soldier says. “Then I’m going to take you down to the beach and shoot you and hang you.” The man and his wife were only able to get away because of their missionary
group and identification to prove their purpose.
But it was “the scariest time in my life,” the man, Curtis L. Hayes, admits. And even though much of his life has been filled with fear and mishaps, he has never failed to follow God, he says.
Hayes spent nearly five years in Liberia, South Africa during the 1980 military coup that overthrew the Americo-Liberian government. He went, he says, because God asked him to. See SPOTLIGHT, Page A3
Amy Vogelsang Photo
Curtis L. Hayes